A Tale of Two Eras
by knock3
Summary: A story of two girls from two different times, and how they cope with love, school, friendship and all the magic in the air.
1. Chapter 1

Her eyes felt so dry and itchy, they bore the look of sleepless nights. Which is perfectly true, she lacked sleep for the past few days, all the result of procrastinating doing her homework.

She felt so…crappy lately. Her body's tired. Because she's weak, she became quiet and still. When people bugged her to talk, she snapped, which results in her feeling guilty. And weak. Again. Which makes her fall into silence. Again. It's a cycle, you see.

But it's alright now. Her work's finally finished. YES. Sleep.

Just as she started to nod off in History of Magic, the Professor ended the class. Ah, she could hear her bed calling her now. They've been in a rocky relationship these past few days, her bed and her.

But Lily has a feeling that they'll make up quite soon. Perhaps, if she's lucky, for 12 straight hours. Okay, that sounds…wrong. She started to laugh for the first time in days.

"_Great. Not only has she turned mute, she's losing her mind now. Look at her, Emily, she's laughing by herself. Merlin, get her a bed, fast!"_ said Irene. Irene is a short, chubby girl with black, straight hair. She was also Lily's closest friend.

"_Oh shut up both of you. This mute's gonna go hibernate in a while. Shush, leave mommy alone now,"_ replied Lily with a smile.

Oh, Irene makes her so…Merlin's stinking soggy sock! She stumbled and hit the person in front of her. Of course. Perfect. Only **she** could manage to forget how to walk properly on the flat floor of the hallway. But then again, she was never known for her grace.

"_Sorry, sorry,"_ she mumbled to the person she hit while giving a glare to Emily and Irene who both were drawing more attention to her clumsiness with their laughter.

She picked up a quill she dropped and started to walk briskly to the Gryffindor common room, leaving her still laughing so-called friends.

They'll pay, soon. If I wasn't so tired, I would've whacked them on the heads. No, if I had the strength, I would whack them on the heads with my History of Magic book. If Irene annoys me one more time, maybe I'll casually mention to Sirius about the time she said he had a cute bum. Oh, he would make her life a living hell with that one.

"_Devil's snare_," she muttered in the middle of planning her evil plans. The Fat Lady swung her door. Aaaaah, home. After a long day listening and waving her wand, nothing made her happier than the sight of the homey Gryffindor common room. Well, nothing except her bed.

As she put her books to one side and started to get ready for reconciliation with her beautiful, sweet, soft, welcoming bed, she remembered that she had that awful Transfiguration test tomorrow.

Aaah, well. It could wait. After all, you couldn't be great at all subjects.

* * *

"_You couldn't be great at all subjects! I'll try to practice that spell later, I reckon even Harry hasn't studied for McGonagall's class tomorrow. You'll pro'ly be the only one who can do the spell. As usual. And I have that essay that slimy Snape told us to do,"_ Ron said to the bushy haired girl.

She was worried. These boys haven't even studied and they can joke around. Whereas she had started to panic. She only tried the spell for Transfiguration out for 3 times. All three were successful, of course, but that's hardly the point. What if she suddenly couldn't do it tomorrow?

And with that Ancient Runes work to do tonight! Well, it has to be submitted next week, but if she doesn't get a head start on it, she wouldn't be able to check for mistakes before sending it in.

"_Oh Ron, you have got to get yourself organised. It only takes planning and time management. See, if you finish your Potions before dinner, I think you'd have enough time to learn Transfiguration,"_ she replied with a concerned look on her face.

"_I would start the essay, but how am I supposed to know how not to use dragon blood? I've never touched that stuff have I? There's nothing in the book either.."_ he stopped talking when Hermione handed him her neatly written essay, finished long before anyone else did.

"_Thanks Hermione. I don't know what I would do without you,"_ he said with a smile.

She responded to his smile with a smile of her own.

"_Maybe if you're done, I could check your essay for you. Then we could practice the spell together." _

From the corner of her eye, she could see Harry smiling with a knowing look on his face. Seeing her glance at him, he hid his face behind the Daily Prophet.

Oh well. Ancient Runes could wait.

* * *

Well, this is my first try. Hope you enjoy it! Feedback's welcome, both good and bad. Thanks for your time :)


	2. Chapter 2

Lily woke up from the sound of tapping on the dormitory window. It was one of the school's owls, a tawny. She groaned loudly.

"_Ah! It speaks,"_ said Emily sarcastically from the four poster bed next to hers.

"_If you don't want to get hexed, I advise you to shut it,"_ replied Lily with her eyes still closed.

"_Ah. It threatens too_." Lily could imagine a smirk forming on her friend's face.

She groaned again. The owl would not stop tapping on the window.

"_Em, would you please open the window already? Some of us are not so eager on looking like an Inferi for another day,"_ she murmured with her face against the pillow.

"_I would, but the Inferi threatened me. This Inferi's companion is not so eager to help said Inferi anymore. Anyway, dinner's in a few, I think the Inferi should wake up and get something to eat before the Inferi starts to look like a shrunken head."_

Lily groaned for the third time. She slowly stood up, threw her pillow at her smirking friend and opened the window. The owl flew in with an air of irritation. After Emily untied the letter, the tawny flew out.

Lily made her way back to bed. Just as she found a comfortable position, she heard that wretched Emily's voice again.

"_OY. This letter's for you."_ And with that, the girl dropped the letter on Lily's pillow and skipped out of the door.

"_See you at dinner!"_ she said before going down the stairs.

Lily eyed the letter. The handwriting was familiar, but she couldn't recall to whom it belonged to. She pulled herself up and leaned against the bed's frame to read the letter.

**If I didn't know you were clumsy, I would've thought you bumped into me on purpose in the corridor this afternoon. Don't think I didn't notice your hands groping just now.**

**It's a joke.**

**I couldn't help but notice you're looking a bit tired lately. Had wild nights with a guy did you? I wouldn't have thought you were interested in things like that.**

**You should catch up on your beauty sleep. Not that you need any, you're beautiful as it is. Just that, you wouldn't want to be caught groping someone else in the corridors, would you?**

**J. Potter**

If it were 3 months ago, Lily would've rolled her eyes and crumpled the letter. But she was quite shocked to get this letter.

James Potter was always there. But these past few months, she hasn't heard a thing from him. He hasn't changed, but he hasn't really talked to her as often as he did. No more _"Hey Evans!"_ from him. He hasn't been quiet either, he was as obnoxious as before.

He just hasn't noticed her quite as often.

Lily was relieved at first. Then, she started to feel like he had something up his sleeve. Maybe he wanted to pull a prank on her. But after a few weeks, she quickly forgot about it all.

But now, getting this letter, Lily was surprised. Surprised that she didn't feel as annoyed as before, surprised that after a months of not talking to her, he sent her this letter. Surprised that as she read his name at the end of the letter, she felt like a weight has been lifted off her chest. She doesn't feel like she's lost days of sleep anymore. She doesn't feel weak or cranky. Could it be? She felt happy.

* * *

A quote I love : _"Cupid rules us all"_ - What is a youth; Romeo and Juliet (1968 Movie)


	3. Chapter 3

She loved the smell of books, the woody smell of paper aging with time. She loved the feel of the sheets against her fingers as she turned the pages. It made her feel at home. It felt perfect, it felt right.

One of her fondest memories was when her father came back home and gave her a story book. It was a typical children's book, but she was captivated and couldn't stop reading the book until she finally turned the last page and got to the ending. From that day on, she got her hands on every book she could find.

She could absorb all the information from reading, everything from the names of lesser known heroes to the way rabbits eat. She may be quite an outsider in kindergarten and primary school, but she excelled in academics. That is how she made up for her lack of friends, by gaining good grades and nods of approval from teachers. She finally found something she's good at.

And when she received that letter when she was eleven, she made sure that she was to excel in Hogwarts too. She stayed up reading simple spells and the school's history, up to the night before she went on the Hogwarts Express.

Hermione was perfectly brilliant at Hogwarts as she was at her Muggle school. The only difference is during her first year, a red-headed boy drew her attention to a detail she has been trying to ignore for years. She was always a loner, an outsider. No one wanted to be friends with a know-it-all overachiever. She cried for hours, knowing that despite all her years of making herself think otherwise, her books and facts will never be able to make up for her lack of friends.

Little did she know that in a few minutes, the same red-head would come in with his own bespectacled friend and save her from a troll. From then on, Ron and Harry have been her comfort and she was grateful for not feeling empty anymore.

But last night, she saw that red-headed boy look at Lavender Brown in a way he never did to her. It was as if a whole cupboard fell on her chest, she could not breath, there was something absent in her chest.

And that is why, after crying herself to sleep, she woke up and reached for a book. Reading was her first comfort, one that she has to go back to, to at least make her strong enough to go on with the rest of the day.

* * *

Wow, I haven't been online for ages now. So I thought I'd post this today, after finally getting some free time.


	4. Chapter 4

"_Merlin's lice infested beard, can you STOP humming? Can't people ignore their homework in peace, Lily?" _

Lily continued her happy humming as if nothing happened.

"_What's up with you anyway? I have never seen you do homework in such a good mood."_

While writing down the answers to the 5 questions given to her class for Potions class, Lily thought of whether or not she should give away some of her seemingly endless stock of toffee.

"_Oy. OY. You. You red-headed freckled freak. Yes you. You hear me? MERLIN, what is up with you!"_

"_It's not nice to cuuuuuuurse,"_ Lily said.

"_A response. Finally. So, are you going to tell me or not?"_

"_How am I going to tell you if I do not know what you are referring to, Miss Irene?"_

The chubby brunette groaned. Lily continued her work.

"_Fine, act that way. I'll make conclusions of my own. You're happy becaaause…Petunia finally broke up with that Dursley chap?" _

Lily responded by dipping her quill in ink, writing down the answer to question number 3 and scratching her nose.

"_Oh, I know. Professor Slughorn has confessed his love to you and told you of his plans to elope during summer. Yes, we all saw that coming."_

Lily involuntarily smirked. She straightened her face and referred to her notes for question number 4.

"_Ah. No? So he's eloping with Snape then? I knew he had a thing for Mister Tall, Dark and Handsome"_ Irene finished off with a laugh.

"_Aww, come on Irene. He's not that bad, he just needs a bit of work and he'd look fine."_

"_Exactly, thanks Emily. And if you were doing your homework instead of yapping, you would be done for the day like I am,"_ Lily waved her Potions homework in Irene's face.

The brunette snatched the piece of parchment with a smile on her face.

"_And I will take that, thank you."_

"_As always."_ Lily smiled, Irene has copied her Potions homework since their first year at Hogwarts.

"_This doesn't mean you're off the hook!"_

"_Oh, shush Irene. If you had asked the right people, you would have your answer. And it just so happens that I," _Emily said while smiling mischievously towards Lily_, "do."_

This time, Lily groaned.

"_I'm going to the dorm now. You girls can continue your theory sharing,"_

"_Aww, come on, Lily. This isn't some stupid theory, it's actually smart guess. I'm thinking it has something to do with that letter you got the other day."_

"_Letter? What letter?"_ Irene said with a look on her face which surely shows how hungry for information she is.

With that, Lily started to think of revenge and how sweet it was.

"_Now, if only you didn't laugh at me when I fell the other day. Hmm, maybe if you didn't laugh, and helped me up instead, I could be telling you all about that lovely, lovely letter." _

She then skipped away with a smile on her face. Before she ascended the stairs towards the girls' dorms, she looked back to her friends and said _"The saddest part is, you would've loved to know who the letter was from. Hmm, too bad."_

She walked up the stairs laughing. Happiness from this sweet victory and the letter made her almost drunk. She loved this feeling. As she got ready to go to bed, she remembered that she had to talk to her other close friend, with whom she hasn't talked to for a while.

She went to sleep that night with both James Potter and Severus Snape on her mind. And toffee too.

* * *

My chapters are quite short, I'm aware of that. This was written during stolen moments between homework and fights. I'll try to write longer next time :)


	5. Chapter 5

That Saturday, Lily got up with a smile on her face.

Realizing that she was smiling like a lunatic, she mentally kicked herself.

_"You shouldn't be happy. James Potter is bad news," _she told herself firmly, though not particularly confident with it.

Feeling the daylight shining on her face, she rose from her bed slowly. Her dormitory was unusually silent; Irene was not to be found whereas Emily and the other girls were still asleep. Lily walked towards a mirror; finally having the guts to look at her reflection.

After days of being the living dead, she flinched every time she looked in the mirror. She was now slowly going back to normal. Her coppery red hair looked wild, frizzy and wavy from days of neglect. Lily never thought she was pretty, her years of being teased in her Muggle school has deflated her confidence.

At moments like these, she was reminded of her sister. Petunia always took her time to tell Lily that she was very much pretty and the other girls at school were just jealous of her. This was of course, prior to them being on bad terms.

_"Lily? Where's Irene?"_ muttered Emily, while stretching on her bed.

_"Not sure. She was gone before I woke up."_

_"Maybe she's in the Great Hall. So what're you doing today?"_

_"I think I'm going to the library."_

Emily, having known Lily for years, knew this does not mean that Lily was going to the library for some light reading.

_"Oh. Have fun with Snape."_

* * *

Lily walked towards the library, knowing that it was the first place to go to when she wanted to find her close friend. He always sat in the library, knowing well that he could avoid all the "activities" his fellow Slytherins were up to.

She found him in a deserted aisle with his Potions book in his hands. He was always writing in that book. Lily walked slowly and sat down next to him.

_"Hey Sev."_

The dark haired boy smiled and looked towards her, closing his Potions book.

_"I haven't heard from you in a long time."_

_"It's not my fault you're always busy, Lily."_

Lily stuck her tongue out at that comment.

_"So how are things? Everything alright down in the dungeons?"_ Lily made herself comfortable in the aisle, resting her head against the rack of books.

_"Everything's…peachy. How are things in the lion's den, lioness?" _he asked, eyeing Lily's red hair. She tied it in a bun, but some strands were simple not co-operating.

Lily punched him on his shoulder, laughing.

_"Everything's alright. Irene reckons you've eloped with Slughorn though."_

_"That's goo- What? What do you mean?"_

_"It's just a joke. So…James Potter wrote to me."_

Severus went quiet.

_"He…I don't know Severus."_

_"He fancies you."_

_"Does he still? He hasn't talked to me in months, then out of the blue, he sends me a letter just because I bumped into him in a corridor."_

_"You want me to talk to him? Is he annoying you?"_

Lily smiled.

_"I know you'll always protect me. But…If I tell you this, please keep an open mind. I'm…I'm not really hating that he wrote to me. It's kind of…kind of nice, actually."_

Lily looked at Severus' face. He had no expression, but she knew there was a whirlwind of thoughts going on.

_"He's…he plays Quidditch," _said Severus as if it explained things._  
_

_"Yes, he does."_

_"And he has that group of friends, Black and the rest. They're just a bunch of immature boys playing pranks on other people,"_ said Severus, having first-hand experience himself.

_"I know. But they've stopped bullying you, haven't they? I think they're changing, Sev."_

_"So you fancy him."_

Lily paused.

_"No. I don't think I…fancy him. I just think we need to be at each other's throats all the time now. And even if he and his friends are a bunch of gits, I think it's nice that they always stick up for each other. He's a good friend to his friends, and it's great to see a close bunch like that."_

_"So you like a bunch of boys who act like buffoons and make trouble?"_

_"I never liked them picking on you, Sev. But if a group of guys are always sticking up for James, that has to mean he has some good qualities. And their pranks aren't quite as mean anymore, they're quite funny actually."_

They sat there in silence while they both thought of what Lily just said.

_"If I was saying this last year, I would be slapping myself."_

Severus laughed lightly.

_"What I mean is I think I can be friends with him."_

_"But you can't be friends with him. You're too…I just…You…"_Severus stopped talking.

_"So you think I shouldn't be friends with him?"_

Severus looked at Lily with a determined look on his face. Lily thought he was going to disagree, but when he laid his eyes on her face, his own face softened.

_"I…I guess you could be friends with him. He's…"_

_"You think so?"_ Lily asked with a smile.

_"I guess."_

_"Thanks, Sev. You're a great friend."_

And with that, Lily moved in for a hug. As she was moving, she thought she saw a sadness in her best friend's eyes, but she dismissed that idea entirely as he returned her hug.

* * *

**I know I usually take turns with Hermione and Lily's stories, but after a few incidents this past week, I was itching to write this.**


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